Labour is demanding the Government hand over unredacted advice on its India trade agreement and meet a series of conditions before it will back the deal.
It comes as Trade Minister Todd McClay appears on Q+A this morning.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins noted Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was committed to a deal one of his government coalition partners had refused to support.
"While the proposed agreement offers some trading opportunities, there appears to be significant risks in the way it is to be implemented in New Zealand," Hipkins said.
Labour's decision on whether to support the landmark free trade agreement was critical, as Winston Peters and NZ First have refused to support the enabling legislation.
This means National and ACT need Labour's support to move the deal forward.
Chief among Labour's concerns is a figure within the agreement to promote US$20 billion (NZ$33 billion) in private sector investment to India over 15 years — a number Hipkins called "unrealistic when compared with past trade agreements".
Labour claimed in its statement that "any shortfall could enable India to unilaterally revoke market access for the apple, honey, and kiwifruit sectors." It wanted "clarity on the rationale, precedence, and national interest" in the clause.
The party outlined four conditions in a letter to National.
They included stronger protections for migrant workers against exploitation, checks to ensure international students entering under the agreement attend legitimate courses, clarity on the rationale for investment commitments, and full release of officials' advice.
Hipkins said Labour believed in free trade but "our free trade agreements must not cause New Zealand harm". He said the advice should be provided in the spirit of bipartisanship, given the significance of the deal.
"Christopher Luxon hamstrung the negotiation of this agreement by putting a time limit on it to fulfil his political agenda and botching the process.
"Now he finds himself agreeing to something without the support of his own Government," he said in a statement.
Christopher Luxon answered questions about a 1News investigation on an ongoing investigation into the boxing organisation and its head coach. (Source: Breakfast)
"Given that the Foreign Minister has felt strongly enough to say he won’t support the deal, we also want to understand exactly what advice officials have provided ministers.
"We ask that it is provided, in full, in the spirit of bipartisanship and the best interest of New Zealanders.
"Labour values the people who come to this country to work and study. It is essential that anyone coming to New Zealand is protected from exploitation, and that our international reputation for delivering high-quality education is upheld.
“Now that we have had the opportunity to scrutinise the agreement, we have written to National setting out the conditions that must be met before we will consider supporting the agreement."
Luxon had pledged to complete an Indian free trade agreement in his first three years on the campaign trail at the last election - a pledge criticised as unrealistic at the time.
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